Furnace for night-soil



(No Modem 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. ENGLE.

' FURNACE FOR NIGHT SOIL.

N0. 315,397. V Patented Apr, 7, 1885.

WMMM KNWQNMY (No ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. r

A.ENGLE.

I FURNACE FOR WXSONIL/ No. 315,397. Patented Apr. 7, 1885.

IEJNITED STATES ANDREWV ENGLE,

PATENT OFFICE,

OF METZ, IOWA.

FURNACE FOR NIGHT-SOIL.

SPEJIPECATIOII forming part of Letters Patent No. 315,397,:1ated April 7, 1885.

Application filed March 3, 1884. (X model.)

7 To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANDREW ENGLE, of Metz, in the county of Jasper and State of Iowa, have invented an Apparatus for Conv suming and Utilizing HumanExcrement and other Sewage Matter, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to prevent the corruption of streams and lakes of water with sewage mat- IO ter, to dispense with sewers for the purpose of carrying off human excrement and other foul matter, and to avoid the annoyances and dangers and costs incident to having waterclosets in dwellings connected with sewers. My invention consists in the construction and co-operation of a furnace, a retort, a reservoir, a superheater, and gas-burner, and one or more water-closets, as hereinafter fully set forth,in such a manner that urine and other matter can be conveyed in tubes to the reservoir, and from the reservoir to the retort to be converted into gas and charcoal,and utilized as combustibles to aid in generating heat in the furnace, or for any of the uses for which 2 5 combustible gas and charcoal are adapted.

Figure 1 of my accompanying drawings is a vertical sectional view of a furnace, superheater, retort, reservoir, and privy-seat combined. Fig. 3 is a section of a building, show ing my apparatus inposition for practical use. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the uncovered top of lmy superheater. Jointly considered these figures clearly illustrate the construction, application, and operationof my complete invention.

A represents a furnace form and size as desired.

Brepresents a retort suspended from the top of the furnace.

B is a steam-tight cover fitted to the top of the furnace and over the closed retort.

G is a reservoir connected with the retort by means of a tube, 0.

G represents a steam-tight gate or cut-off combined with the tube 0 to let the contents of the reservoir drop into the retort whenever desired, and to prevent gas generated in the retort from entering the reservoir 0.

D is a tube extending upward from the res 5o ervoirG.

F represents a urinal or the bowl or basin that may vary in of a water-closet under a seat connected with the tube and conveyer D. i i f G represents a valve that is adapted to let the contents of the basin F passdownward. and to prevent gas and odors from ascending. To operate the valve automatically, I connect it with a platform in such a manner that when a person steps upon the platform in front of" the seat the valve will be opened by the weight i of the person, and when the person leaves the topside and intersecting transverse grooves m in such a manner that gas rising through the tube will be distributed and superheated in the grooves and discharged and consumed therefrom within the combustion-charnber to l aid in promoting the combustion of fuel upon the furnace-grate and the production of heat under and around the retort suspended in the top of the furnace.

N represents a cover fitted on top of the flange or plate J to close the grooves K and m, and to confine gas therein until it reaches the circumference of the complete burner, where it is allowed to escape through suitable openlugs.

It represents a jacket or cylinder fixed on top of the furnace and around the reservoir 0.

S represents a tube connected with the top y portion of the retort B and the lower portion of the superheater and gas-burner H to convey the gas generated in the retort into the superheater and burner.

T is a furnace smoke-flue connected with the lower portion of a chimney in a building.

V is a ventilating-flue connected withthe tube 'D and the top portion of the same chim ney, as shown in Fig. 2.

In the practical use of my invention the deposits made in the water-closets will, by force of gravity, descend into the reservoir 0, (or a series of reservoirs,) from which the matter can be readily dropped into the retort B (or a series of retorts) by operating the valve or cutoff 0 once each day, or as often as necessary, to be decomposed or cremated, and the niter and other valuable gas-producing substances contained therein extracted by means of afire and heat maintained in the furnace and around the retort by burning coal or other fuel in the furnace in a common Way, and the residuum and non-volatile matter reduced to charcoal. As gas is thus generated in a retort it will pass through the tube S or series of tubes into the superheater H, or aseries of superheaters in one or more furnace-chambers, to be superheated and consumed as it escapes from the burner or burners connected with the superheater, and to aid in promoting the combustion of fuel in the furnace and in the produc tion of heat for operating the retort, for warming a building, or for any purpose for which artificial heat can be utilized.

To remove charcoal formed in a retort, I simply provide an opening that can be closed with a screw-plug, as shown in Fig. 1, or in any suitable way, so that the plug can be with drawn and the charcoal scraped out into the furnace-chamber to be used as fuel in the furnace, or taken out and used for any of the common purposes for which charcoal is ad apted to be used.

I claim as my invention 1. An apparatus for utilizing night-soil and sewage and dispensing with sewer gas in dwellings, towns, and cities, composed of the following elements, to wit: a bowl or basin and tube adapted to receive and convey sewage, a reservoir adapted to receive and retain sewage, having a valve or gate for discharging its contents, a retort and furnace combined and adapted to cremate sewage in the retort and convert it into gas and charcoal, and a tube, superheater, or burner adapted to convey and consume the gas generated in the retort.

2. The combination of a furnace, retorthaving one or more gas-conveying tubes attached, a reservoir having a discharge-valve or cutoff, and one or more privy-bowls or basins, to

operate in the manner set forth, for the purposes Specified.

3. The combination of a furnace, a retort having an opening adapted for removing charcoal therefrom, a reservoir having a valve or cut-off adapted for emptying the contents into the retort, one or more privy bowls or basins in position to discharge their contents into the reservoir, a tube to convey gas from the retort, and a superheater to receive and distribute gas within the furnace, for the purposes specified.

4. A superheater and gasburner composed of a tube having a closed bottom and an annular flange or plate at its top provided with concentric grooves and intersecting transverse grooves in its top face, and a cover adapted to close the grooves and to cause gas to be distributed from the circumference of the burner, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination of one or more furnaces,

one or more retorts, one or more reservoirs having discharge-valves or gates, one or more privy bowls or basins, one or more gassuperheaters and burners, one or more furnaceflucs, and one or more ventilatingflues above the privies with or without a chimney in a building, to operate in the manner set forth, for the purposes stated.

ANDREW ENGLE. \Vitnesses:

' J. M. ST. JOHN, P. J. CALLISON. 

